The present invention relates to an overhang-type starter having a bearing between a one-way clutch and a pinion.
In recent years, due to environmental needs such as fuel economy regulation and an exhaust gas control, an intake pipe or a catalytic converter attached to an engine is enlarged in size and the number of other accessory devices are increased. This has resulted in less space around the engine. For example, when a starter 100 is installed from an engine side, it is likely to interfere with the intake pipe 110 and the catalytic converter 120 which are enlarged as shown in cross hatched portions of FIG. 4A. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, it is proposed to install the starter from a transmission side 130. However, in an inboard-type starter which provides a pinion between bearings, a housing nose portion including the front side bearing interferes with an engine block or the like. Thus, it is practical to use a cantilever-type starter which provides the pinion ahead of a front side bearing. Also, since stays and the like are required to install the cantilever-type starter, a small-sized and lightweight starter is preferable rather than a large and heavy starter.
For example, in a starter disclosed in JP-U-4-104164 (EP 0499 955 A1), an output shaft is provided in a coaxially aligned manner with a rotary shaft by using a planetary speed reduction gear device for decreasing the starting motor in size. However, in this starter, an axial distance between a front side bearing and a maximum advanced position of a one-way clutch moving on an output shaft is shortened. Therefore, the outer diameter of a housing front portion between a front end of the housing supporting the front side bearing and an attachment face opposing an engine side is increased step-wise in the axial direction. Especially, in a vehicle having an automatic transmission, since the starter is mounted over a transmission case installing a hydraulic torque converter, the front portion of the housing is likely to interfere with the transmission case.